How to Make Funny Videos for Marketing That Won’t Make Your Brand a Joke

Read Time: 5 minutes

Funny videos can be hit or miss. Deliver a joke perfectly, and you can have just about anyone rolling on the floor with laughter. Tell an off-colored joke, or execute it in the wrong context, and you’ll be met with awkward crickets at best.

Walking the tightrope between knee-slapping hilarious and spine-chilling horrendous, many marketers are hesitant to use humor in their video marketing. The fear of marketing humor seeming forced, corny, or over-exaggerated is real. No one wants to tell a joke to potential leads that might fall flat.

Yikes! Just thinking about it gives me the heebie-jeebies.

So how can marketers win points with their prospects using humor without overdoing it?

To answer this, our Chief Evangelist, Renee Teeley, knew she had to chat with the B2B Marketing Funny Girl herself, Rachael Kay Albers. Get ready to laugh out loud (I hope) and learn about how you can add humor to your marketing videos. Hint: It’s all about the sprinkle.

Let’s laugh!

Benefits of Being the Funny Videos Girl (or Guy)

Before we dive into how to use funny videos responsibly, it’s important first to consider all the benefits of laying on the laughter. Honestly, there are so many reasons to show off your funny side in your videos, but here are a few:

Make yourself memorable

With prospects watching so much video content, it can be hard to deliver a video that sticks in their minds. Fancy graphics and effects (which are super easy to create) are awesome. But if you’re looking for the information to be retained by your viewer, humor is a great way to go.

Viewer engagement goes off the charts

If you’re looking for viewer retention — and who are we kidding, of course you are — humor is a mighty fine way to do that. Hook them with a sleight-of-hand joke right out the gates. Capture their interest with something funny, and that engagement will deepen.

Gain the “know, like, and trust” factor

We can never stress enough how the goal of content marketing is all about building up these three stages with your audience. Making people laugh has an instant way to show you’re not a marketing robot, but a human who can be a bit vulnerable.

This, in turn, allows your audience to let their guard down as well. Once you and your audience have both laid down your stuffy business arms, you create an authentic space for learning and relationship development. All because you made a simple joke!

Keep It Light, but Not Fluffy

Alright. Now that we’ve covered our bases about the benefits of using funny videos in B2B marketing, we have to figure out how to not overdo it. One key piece of advice is keeping it light. Before you even crack a joke, consider using a light tone of voice. Just this slight change can make a difference in how viewers relate to you.

Using informal language is another great way to set a more comfortable mood. This allows your target audience to connect with you and your message. Keeping it light also makes you appear more friendly, approachable, and fun to listen to. Even something as simple as starting your video with a genuine smile can go a long way with an audience. Do that, and you’ve already won half the engagement battle.

One thing to note: Light isn’t fluffy.

If you seem too casual, it may come off as unprepared or unprofessional. See what works best for you to both feel that what you’re giving over is important substance and content, while ensuring it’s light and digestible for viewers.

Sprinkle, Don’t Spray

We’ve got to talk about the difference between humor and comedy. Your marketing videos are about adding value about your area of thought leadership, not a standup comedy YouTube channel.

One fun way to think about this then is “sprinkle, don’t spray.”

This means that you should be sprinkling light humor throughout your videos. Make sure you’re not spraying jokes at your audience. Launching one joke after the other isn’t the best. It will distract from your message, and leaves viewers far less likely to make it to your CTA at the end.

Funny Video Types to Try

We all know funny videos when we see it. It makes us laugh, smile, or even have to pause the video because we need an extra second to soak it in and recuperate.

Consider some of these light forms of humor to try in your next video:

Plot twists

Storytelling is an amazing way to connect with your audience. Be it a testimonial, an employee story, or a fictional character that represents your buyer persona – there are always opportunities for a plot twist. The best stories have them, and the turning point where the hero gets out of the woods is always a moment that’s sure to make them smile.

Silliness

Being a little silly is totally fair game! It shows off your personality (if that’s a part of it) and makes you relatable.

Turns of phrase and wordplay

My personal favorite. Some people have a natural knack for turns of phrase and wordplay. If this is you, share that with your viewers! When done well, this always brings on a giggle or two.

Also, steer clear of calling your prospects, “customers.” They’re people for crying out loud! Try “people,” “folks,” or “professionals.”

Mixed media

Don’t think you’re all that funny in front of the camera? Don’t sweat it! Funny video elements are something that can be added in post-production. Check out Renee’s video with Rachael (above) as an example. The moment they’re transformed into a scene from Mrs. Maisel always gets me whenever I watch it.

Think about what B-Roll, flying objects, characters, or sound effects you can add to your video in Powtoon or other post-production software. All these can bring real humor to your video without cracking any jokes.

The Funny Friends & Family Special

Your friends and family are… well your friends and family. They’re the people you trust the most and are generally the most honest with you (for better or worse). If anyone is going to call you out on your shortcomings, it’s these lovely people.

Show them your videos if you aren’t already! Get their take on what jokes stick the landing, and what lines they suggest you cut from your next video. Be sure to tell them who the target audience is, so they have some context of who you’re speaking to.

Got Any Funny Video Making Tips of Your Own?

Making funny B2B videos can help you stand out from the competition. It makes you appear friendly, trustworthy, engaging, and overall more memorable. That said, you don’t want to go overboard with the jokes. We hope you use these tips to bring that lightness to your videos and sprinkle all different types of humor to your next video series.

Are there any ways YOU use humor in your videos to build that H2H connection? Let me know in the comments below or on YouTube.

As always, don’t forget to subscribe to Powtoon’s YouTube channel for more episodes of the #MakeItAwesome Show and more awesome content from the Powtoon team!

Stay Awesome!

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Shoshi Davis

Shoshi joined Powtoon as a Marketing Assistant. To read more of her stuff, you can find her content on Upwork and Business 2 Community talking all things inbound marketing for SaaS. After only 2 weeks at Powtoon, Shoshi was dubbed by the marketing team as having the superpower of "Unbridled Enthusiasm." So that was pretty cool.